Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/38279
CAD•Scanning n n n n lenging situations when scanning critical areas—many of the world heritage sites are located in conflict areas, and some are in extremely remote areas, while ecological threats are becom- ing an almost universal challenge. The use of scanning is also growing in industry, as the price of large-scale digitizers drops and the technology becomes easier to use. Hexagon, in fact, has changed directions after acquiring Intergraph, one of the largest companies in plant design, trans- portation, and GIS. With the acquisition in 2009, Hexagon main- tains that it is going to work on closing the loop between digital information, the CAD model, and the object it describes. While scanning is often used to create a digital model of an object produced at a manufacturing plant, it is also used to create a digital model of the plant itself. In this type of application, scanning helps describe what’s going on inside the plant, especially since after years of adding on and retrofitting, the plant no longer conforms to its CAD models. Bentley Systems, with interests in GIS, transportation, plant soft- ware, and CAD, has also been involved in this kind of work. At its annual Be Inspired Competition and Conference, the company highlights innovative uses of technology, and the variety of applications in which scanning tools come into play is surprising. For instance, LIDAR scans have been used to find and identify power lines across a wide landscape, and then to get that information into a GIS system where the information can be used for maintenance purposes. Like Hexa- gon, Bentley offers tools for the plant in- dustry to manage information gathered from scanning the inside of plants in order to digitize pipe layouts and understand where new pipes can be installed without clashing against one another. The company is working with London-based Pointools’ point-cloud management software, which is integrated into many of Bentley’s products. Today, it often makes more sense to work with CAD and scanned data simul- taneously, says Joe Croser, vice president of products at Pointools. In applications such as factory-floor optimization, companies will scan a factory floor, and to reconfigure a layout, firms may erase a machine image and add a CAD model in its place. Because products like Poin- tools’ Point Cloud enable scans with hundreds of millions of points to be seen and manipulated just like any other 3D file, it’s unnecessary to convert the information to CAD data—in fact, the process may take too long. As Toyota revamps its manufacturing sites in the US, it, too, has been taking advantage of scan tools. In fact, there are several companies working with the auto- motive industry to use scanning technology for revamping plants and to design cars. Can-Tech Design in Guelph, On- tario, has been working with Toyota to scan factory floors and to create digital models of the factory. At Ford, scanning technology is being used to digitize the factory floor, select and erase equipment, and add in models of new equipment. As a result, the company has dramatically reduced the time it takes to change its floor configuration CAD and rapid prototyping are becoming more fashionable across surpris- ingly atypical industries. Iris van Herpen, a Dutch avant-garde couture designer with a futuristic undertone, has blended fashion and technology, employing 3D prototyping to produce an Escapism collection of wearable masterpieces, including this one above. June/July 2011 29 Courtesy Geomagic.